The Secret Language of Birthday

From April 20th, 1945, the day when Berlin first saw the face of war, until June 22nd, when it was sacked by the Russian Army, the anonymous author of A Woman in Berlin captured the stark reality of life within the falling city. Fending off the boredom and deprivation of hiding, the author recorded her experiences, observations and meditations in this vivid diary. Accounts of the bombing, the rapes, the rationing of food and the overwhelming terror of death are rendered in the dispassionate, though determinedly optimistic prose of a woman fighting for survival amidst the horror and inhumanity of war…

100 years after its outbreak, this series lets viewers experience WWI solely through the eyes of those who lived it.
History tells us 'what was'. It tells us when things happened. When kings and cultures lived and died, armies were raised and vanquished, and mighty empires rose and fell. History, as we know it from books, is often boring, for it fails to answer one very simple question: What was it like? When war broke out in Europe in July 1914, people on all sides believed it would be over by Christmas. Little could they know just how wrong they were. A seemingly petty conflict in Bosnia soon snowballed into the first truly global conflict.

A beautiful thriller that has more elements of mystery and romance than of the thriller that revolves around an auctioneer who has an insane collection of paintings of women. Tornatore manages to portray this lonely man in a perfect manner, even a bit too exaggerated towards the extent of that loneliness as well as the overall plot is a little bit confusing in terms of how the plan is carried out at the end, and how everything gets screwed over so suddenly and so painfully. Still, this film has gorgeous work of art and a spectacular art direction, it has Geoffrey Rush giving a nice performance: strong and emotional, and it keeps your interest, even if it's 2 hours long, and that is something to applaud.

An all-expense-paid week at a luxury villa in Jamaica—it’s the invitation of a lifetime for a group of old college friends. All four women are desperate not just for a reunion, but for an escape: Tina is drowning under the demands of mothering four young children. Allie is shattered by the news that a genetic illness runs in her family. Savannah is carrying the secret of her husband’s infidelity. And, finally, there’s Pauline, who spares no expense to throw her wealthy husband an unforgettable thirty-fifth birthday celebration, hoping it will gloss over the cracks already splitting apart their new marriage.

This award-winning collection of adapted classic literature and original stories develops reading skills for low-beginning through advanced students. Accessible language and carefully controlled vocabulary build students' reading confidence. Introductions at the beginning of each story, illustrations throughout, and glossaries help build comprehension. Before, during, and after reading activities included in the back of each book strengthen student comprehension. Audio versions of selected titles provide great models of intonation and pronunciation of difficult words.